The true measure, and so I say worth, of a man is in his judgment. All else being a product of nature, I hold a person accountable to their judgment. From the great many citizens who choose to serve a single deity, it can therefore be surmised that to cull the population of those people would release society of the great burden of foolishness.
Why do so many people choose to serve a deity when all so obviously hold necessary dominions? I can think of two reasons. The citizenry of Sable is relentless in its need to join groups so as not to miss out on some facet of power that others may be experiencing. Either this is the case, or the person is of such delusion as to believe one God's dominion more noble than another.
Apart from the realms of Mortis and Vivoria, the dominions of the Gods are all necessary to the continuance of our existence. Since death is no barrier because of Mortis' pitiful release of his realm, Loviatar's pain is all that reminds mortals of the cost of Tempest's wars. How interesting would life truly be without Bast? Yet Erosians would waste energy, and countless lives (though no large matter that) battling the Greedy One.
Many treatises have been written on the need for balance between good and evil, and of the war of the Gods. I say there is no need. Good and evil are not absolutes, but rather are portions of each mortal. As long as mortals live, there will always be good and evil, whether Vishnu is destroyed or not. The judgments of one man never match the judgments of another. As long as there are differences in moral and ethical judgment, good and evil exist in the world. Vishnu and Set claim rulership of these aspects of mankind, which gives them the true crown as Gods of Deceit over Gethsemane. They have no affect on good and evil and never have.
Mankind, like the Gods themselves, is the product of the Great Child (or Father if you prefer) of reality, Aristotle. Evil and good (why should good always go first) are byproducts of Aristotle's infusion of free will into his creations. From free will springs judgment, from which springs accusations of who is bad and who good. I would say all Vishnu and Set may do is lay out the guidelines on what behavior is considered evil and what good, the terms being relative to their respective points of view. I accept their views/proclamations and go about my life in quiet truth. Act on behalf of your own moral code and you do good.
There are practical reasons to join a Church. If one is fortunate enough to gain the favor of his chosen God (from my witnessing this is not a product of any sound thought in the chosen), they may then gain great power, as in the case of the Heart, who does little to actually serve her Goddess, but has taken a great deal from the Church. I wrote above that most people have a need for joining organizations, and I do not judge this choice harshly, but rather question the nobility of choosing sides in the Godswar based on which group of people one would rather know. Since all sides in the conflict have noble cause, the battle does not need for fighting.
The progeny of the Great Child, however, are simply immortal, powerful men and women. They lack the capacity for rational thought, and the strength of true resolve. Rather they would spend their time in their large nursery, battling over whose fingerpaintings are better while their followers destroy each other on the ground. Again, not that there is any consequence since Mortis became the fool. For a true glimpse into the childishness of the Gods, witness their latest tirades on the lack of sanctity in marriage. Mankind acts on the emotions and whims given them by Aristotle. It is simply not possible for more than a handful of couples to remain faithful within the confines of a Godly marriage. I, personally, chose never to exercise vows before a deity, and am glad I didn't. I would have been condemned by the Gods for acting on the instincts given by their own Father.
The lack of consequence is the reason people think so narrowly about religion. Once, the great equalizer was death, but removed from the equation, the worst that may happen to a person simply does not outweigh the benefits of possible power that a deity can provide. In truth, without mortals to fight their battles, the Gods would have no purpose. Were they rational beings, I would simply say to man, lay down your arms and heed not their words. However, they lack the necessary wisdom to realize that destruction of their followers achieves nothing. And sadly, if mortals ever did congregate in an overthrow of the Aether, there would always be those who would aid the Gods seeking the power they would surely receive, greed being the closest thing to an absolute in man's nature. Praise Bast!
Offered,
Siric Silanoi